Broken
by xOxbabii.girl.flying.solo.xOx
Summary: Gabriella meets Troy. They fall in love.But Gabby's step-dad, Carlos, doesn't want them together. In fact, he forbids them to see each other. What will they do? Rated for sexual scenes, cussing, and more. Don't like? Don't read. :P
1. East High

I'm Gabriella Montez. Some may say I'm lucky. I have a mom and a step-dad, we make a lot of money, I have quite a few friends, but they're wrong. Dead wrong. You see, I've lived in sixteen different places my whole life. I've moved every year of my life since I was two. I'm only in the same school for one school year, then we're ripped up and gone again. It's my mom's job. Though it pays good money, we have to transfer a lot. Then, there's my step-dad. His name is Carlos. He's very strict. About everything.

Well, this year, I'm going to a school called East High in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My first day is today. I haven't slept very well tonight. Maybe about thirty minutes max. I layed down at about ten and now it's six. I should be getting up soon. "GABRIELLA!" My mom called up the stairs.

"I'm up, mom!" I replied. I rubbed my eyes and stretched before finally climbing out of bed. I sighed as I began to get ready for school.

"Breakfast!" My mom called again at me. I finished putting on my eyeliner and ran down the stairs.

"What time do we have to leave?" I asked me mom, as she put some pancakes and eggs on my plate.

"In about ten minutes," Maria replied, as she hurried away to get ready for work.

I finished eating in a few minutes and grabbed my stuff. My heart was pounding and it felt like it was going slowly up my throat. A tight knot formed in my stomach. This was how I always felt on the first day of school. I subconsciously smoothed out my purple tank top and straightened the wrinkles out of my dark skinny jeans. Then, I sat down by the door and put my black high-top converse on.

"Ready to go?" My mom asked as she came back into the room.

"Yup," I said, standing up and tossing my bag over my shoulder. "Did Carlos already leave?"

"Yeah, he had to go in a little early," She told me as she opened the front door. I followed her out the door and walked to the car. I sat in the passenger seat of the mini van and my mom climbed in and started the engine. She backed out of the driveway and began the drive down the road. We were out of the subdivision and driving down a main road, then the highway, and then another main road. In what seemed like only a few minutes, we arrived at the school. It was very large with a big fountain outside of it and the words East High across the front above the double doors.

"Have a good day," My mom said softly.

"Thanks," I said, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. I climbed out of car. My heart pounded faster, the knot tightened in my stomach. I began the walk to the double doors. I looked back and my mom gave me a wave as she pulled away. I turned around and continued walking. Then, wham. I was knocked to the side and I hit the ground hard.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" A female voice apologized.

I looked up, a little dazed. She had an oval face, bright green eyes, curly brown hair past her shoulders, and fair skin. She was wearing a pink skirt, a white button-up shirt, and pink Stilettos. She reached her hand down to help me up. Her nails were sparkly and… pink. I took her hand and she pulled me to my feet.

"Are you okay?" She and the girl who was standing next to her asked in unison. The girl who was standing next to her was dark-skinned and had more of a heart-shaped face, brown eyes, and shoulder length brown wavy hair.

"Yeah, just fine," I smiled as I dusted myself off.

"Again, I apologize," The blonde girl said.

"No, it was my fault. I should've been watching where I was going."

"Well, I'm sorry anyway," She laughed. "I'm Sharpay. This is my friend Taylor." She motioned toward the girl standing next to her. "You must be new. I haven't seen you before."

"Yeah, I just moved here about a week ago. My name is Gabriella Montez," I introduced myself.

"What grade?" Taylor asked curiously.

"Junior," I told them.

"Same here," both of them nodded.

"Do you need help finding anything?" Sharpay asked.

I nodded. "Yes, please. I have no idea where I'm going… at all."

"Cool. You probably need to go to the office to pick up your schedule and information," Taylor informed me. "We'll walk you there."

We walked into the double doors. People were walking around and talking to friends and stopping at lockers. Most of them looked at us as we passed. They must've known I was new. I frowned and wished everyone's eyes weren't on me. "Just ignore them," Taylor told me encouragingly. We continued to walk. Sharpay lead us into the office.

"I'm Gabriella Montez, the new student," I told the secretary.

"Montez, right," she nodded. "Here." She handed me a vanilla folder. "In there's your schedule, a map of the school, information about the school, a calendar of upcoming events, and things like that."

"Okay, thank you," I smiled as Sharpay, Taylor, and I left the office. I opened the folder.

"What's your first period?" Sharpay asked.

I pulled out the schedule. "Um, a Darbus?"

"Oh, that's ours!" Taylor exclaimed happily. "Acting!"

Sharpay laughed. "Yes, yes it is."

"Let's stop by your locker first, so you don't have to lug everything around with you all day," Taylor suggested. She peered over my shoulder. "270. Oh, right down this hall." She walked a few more steps, watching the numbers on the locker as we passed. "Right here."

I put in the combination and opened the locker. Then, I opened my bag and pulled out some stuff I thought I wouldn't need. "Dude, I did not!"

"Yeah, bro, I swear. You went to the dance with her in like eighth grade!"

"No, I would remember." A bunch of guys stopped at the locker next to mine. The one that had just spoke began putting in his combination. He had dark hair but I couldn't see his face because he had his hood up and he was looking down.

"Hey guys," Talyor greeted.

"Hey," a guy with dark skin and a curly afro replied.

"Hi," another guy said. He was skinny and tall with dark skin and a handsome face.

"Oh, hey, Taylor!" A shorter one with brown hair and a little stubble said. His reaction was a little delayed.

"Guys, this is Gabriella," Talyor said.

I watched the guy at his locker who hadn't spoken since they'd arrived. He finally looked up. He was probably the most handsome guy I'd ever seen. He had baby blue eyes that seemed to pierce your soul and flawless skin. I didn't get worked up, because I figured he had a girlfriend. "This is Chad," she said, motioning to the one with the afro, "Zeke," the tall dark-skinned one, "Jason," the stubble guy, "And Troy."

"Hi," I said softly.

"Hey," they all replied. Troy's eyes seemed to linger for a moment and he gave me a soft smile that complimented his features well.

I smiled back and turned to my locker again. "She has acting with us." Sharpay added.

"Really? Sweet," Chad said.

"Yeah, that's great," Zeke agreed.

"You'll just love Miss Darbus," Troy laughed sarcastically.

"Oh no," I said turning around. "What's wrong with her?"

"Oh, let's just say… She doesn't shut up." Jason laughed.

"That may be so, but I think that you, too, need to learn to - what was that term? - shut up," a new voice to the conversation said. We all turned around. "Detention. All of you."

Everyone groaned. "Damn," I muttered. "That means I have to text my mom." I looked around for teachers and pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to my mom.

"Fuck." Troy swore. "Dad's gonna kill us. That's the fifth time this year."

"Why is he gonna kill you?" I asked.

"They're on the basketball team. Troy's the star and his dad is the coach," Sharpay explained for them.

"Oh," I said.

"C'mon, let's go. We don't wanna be late and get double detention."


	2. Detention and Pizza

Later that day, I found that I had gym with everyone second hour. I had third hour Chemistry with Taylor. I had fourth hour English with Troy and Chad. I had fifth hour Home Economics with Sharpay, her twin Ryan, and their other friend Kelsi, who I recognized from Acting. Then I had lunch with everyone again. Sixth hour was History with Zeke, Jason, and Troy. Seventh hour was Trigonometry with Taylor. And lastly, I had Miss Darbus again for homeroom with everyone… again.

Now, I was on my way to detention. I sat in the very back desk in the corner. I was the first one in there. Taylor followed. She sat right in front of me. Troy came in a little after her and he sat right across from me. Sharpay sat next to Taylor, diagonal from me. Chad sat in the third row, right across from Troy. Zeke sat in front of him, across from Sharpay. Jason sat right in front of Zeke.

The person watching over us came in. He was an old man with a white beard and white hair and a cane. He introduced himself as Mr. Ember. We all laughed as he hobbled over to his desk in the corner of the room. "I wonder if he's deaf," Troy whispered, leaning over to me. I giggled. Troy stretched his legs across the aisle and put them on my desk. Mr. Ember didn't even move. So Troy moved his desk closer so that our desks were touching. Then everyone got the hint and pushed their desks closer to each others. Still, he didn't move.

I ripped the corner off a piece of paper out of my notebook and crumpled it up. I took a rubber band out of my bag and placed the piece of paper on one end, holding both ends. Troy, realizing what I was going to do, laughed and said, "Ooh, baby, that's bad ass!" Everyone broke out into loud laughter. And still, Mr. Ember didn't move. I flung the paper to the front of the room and it hit the Smart Board, with a loud noise and bounced off and hit Mr. Ember in the head. He didn't even stir.

"Wait, is he breathing?" Chad joked.

We all laughed once again. Taylor moved over toward Chad's desk and sat on his desk. Sharpay began singing Lollipop by Framing Hanley very loudly and I joined in. We stood on our desks and began dancing. Troy began laughing so hard that he almost fell out of his desk. Zeke began clapping to the rhythm of our song. "And she licks me like a lollipop… Like a lollipop!" We sang together.

Mr. Ember finally moved, checking his watch. Me and Sharpay jumped off our desks. We began dancing in the aisle, seeing if he would notice us. We head-banged and grinded in midair. He finally looked up and we froze on spot. "Time to go," he said as he stood up and wobbled toward the door on his cane. He opened the door and left. We all looked around at each other's faces and burst out laughing. Even though he'd caught us in the act, he hadn't even said anything to us about it.

"Wanna go get pizza?" Jason asked randomly.

"YES!" We all agreed.

We walked to the pizza place as slow as possible because we were having so much fun and we wanted as much time as possible to be together. Then I realized I hadn't told my mom that we were going to get pizza. I pulled out my phone and kind of slowed down form the group. I punched in my mom's number. "Hello?"

"Mom, do you mind if I go get some pizza with some friends?" I asked.

"What friends?" She asked.

"A few girls from school," I lied. I knew she would tell Carlos and he would get worked up that their were three girls alone with four guys. I rolled her eyes at the thought.

"Okay," My mom replied.

"Bye, mom," I said as I flipped the phone shut.

"Hey, you okay?" Troy asked as he jogged over to me.

I smiled at him. "Sure thing."

"Cool," He grinned. "Hey, we're going to the fair tomorrow. Wanna com with?"

"Sounds fun," I nodded.

"So you in?" He asked, hope lighting up his face.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Awesome!" He exclaimed.

We caught up with the rest of the gang and walked the rest of the way to the pizza place. It was only a few blocks away. When we entered, it looked pretty cozy. The lighting was dim, it was nice and cool. We found a booth near the back and I squeezed in first. Troy sat next to me and Jason next to him. Taylor and Sharpay squished into the booth across from us. Chad sat next to Taylor. Zeke pulled up a chair on the end of the table. "What can I get for ya?" The waitress asked as she came up to us. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and battered her long eyelashes. She kept throwing side-glances at Troy.

We ordered two large cheese pizza's and two large pepperoni's and a supreme. She turned around and walked away with an extra sway of her hips. "Dude!" Jason yelled, punching Troy on the shoulder. "She was totally into you!"

"Nah," Troy shook his head.

"Don't you want her number?" Chad asked, looking at him in awe. "You do realize who that is? Tayla Martin from school? The head cheerleader?"

"Yeah, I know who she is," Troy said.

"Any guy would kill to go out with her!" Zeke added.

"Not me," Troy shrugged.

"And I would hope not you either," Taylor said through gritted teeth, elbowing Chad in the side. Oh, I forgot to mention they're going out.

"She's totally fake!" Sharpay exclaimed. "She's had plastic surgery twice, a nose job, a boob job, and she fake tans!"

"I agree," I muttered. "She's a Barbie look-alike."

"Well, Troy, get a move on or all of the good girls will be gone," Jason said.

"Ooh, I see!" Taylor shrieked.

"Tay, shh!" Sharpay hushed her.

"Well, don't you see? Troy likes someone."

"Oh, oh, who is she? Who is she? Tell me!" Chad asked, his face lighting up like a little kid on Christmas.

"I don't like anyone!" Troy said, in a high voice with a small smirk on his face.

"Lies!" Jason yelled.

"He's lying! Look at his face!" Zeke laughed.

I stayed quiet. I didn't want to know who he liked. I honestly didn't. I didn't even know why I didn't want to. This knot in my stomach was telling me I didn't want to know. I shook my head and muttered something quietly to myself. "Don't you wanna know who he likes, Gabby?" Sharpay asked.

I shrugged. I wasn't going to tell them I didn't. Then they would think I liked him. But did I like him? I let the thoughts run through my head. It seemed impossible to like someone after you'd only known them for about nine or ten hours. I shook my head. Was I jealous? There was no way. I'd only known the guy for hours! Not days, not months, not years! I couldn't like him. It wasn't possible. It just wasn't. At all.

The waitress came back to save me from this circumstance. She placed the three pizza's on the table. She smiled and gave a wink at Troy, before turning away with the sway of her hips overdramatic once again. I rolled my eyes for the third time. We all dug into the pizza and ate like pigs. The door opened and the bell chimed. I looked up. Carlos was standing there. He scanned the room for me. I sank down into the booth. "Shit. Hide me!" I hissed toward Troy.

"Why?" He asked, looking around confused.

"Just do it!" I replied.

He leaned over me. I slid underneath the booth and crawled to the next booth back. I climbed up into the other booth and Troy leaned over the back of his booth. He gave me a weird look. "What the hell?"

"I'll call you tonight and explain," I told him a whisper. "What's your number?" I pulled a pen out of my bag and he took it fro me. I extended my hand and he wrote down his number on my hand. "Call you later." I whispered as I stood up. I walked toward Carlos.

"Oh, there you are! I was looking for you. Where are your girlfriends?" He asked, looking around.

"Oh, they went to the bathroom, but I sent them a text so we can go now." I said as he nodded and turned out of the pizza place. I sent a last apologetic look at the gang who looked really confused. I followed Carlos out of the parlor.

"What's that on your hand?" He asked me as he started his truck's engine.

"Oh, my friend Taylor's number." I lied with a smile.

"Oh, that's great. So did you make lots of friends?"

"Yeah, the kids at East High are very… welcoming." I laughed.

It wasn't like I wanted to lie to him. I really didn't. But I just couldn't sit there and tell him I was with two other girls and four other boys. He would totally flip. He didn't like the idea of me hanging out with boys anywhere. No, he couldn't stop me, but I didn't want him worrying his little head about it.


	3. Phone Call to Troy and IMing the Girls

I punched in Troy's number on my cell phone. I felt butterflies in my stomach as it began to ring. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. "Hello?" His deep voice answered.

"Hey, Troy, it's Gabriella," I greeted.

"Oh, hey!" He exclaimed. "What's up?"

"Um, nothing really. I'm just sitting here on my balcony."

"It's nice outside. I was just playing a basketball game with Chad, Zeke, and Jase."

"Oh, am I interrupting?" I asked, getting nervous.

"Oh, no. Not at all. We just finished. I won," He laughed.

I giggled. "That's great."

"So about earlier… Why'd you leave like that?"

"My dad doesn't like it when I hang out with boys," I answered lamely.

"Oh… Does that mean we can't hang out anymore?" He sounded upset.

"Oh, no!" I said. "We can still hang out."

"Good," He said. I could tell he was grinning. "So are you still going to the fair with us tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure. What time?" I asked.

"We're leaving at about two, so be ready about 2:15. We'll pick you up in Taylor's mom's mini van. That's the only way we can fit everyone in."

"Who all's going?" I asked curiously.

"Me, Chad, Zeke, Tay, Shar, and you." He laughed.

"Figures," I laughed.

"Gabriella?" Carlos called, coming out onto my balcony. "Who are you talking to?"

"Talyor," I lied automatically. "She was wondering if I could go to the fair with her and our other friend Sharpay and her parents." I only said the thing about her parents because I knew he'd freak if it were only the three of us girls alone at the fair all day.

"Yeah, I guess," He replied. "When are you planning on being home?"

"When are we going to get back?" I asked Troy into the phone.

"I don't know… Do you have a curfew?" He teased.

I giggled.

"No, um, probably around ten… Does that sound good?"

"Sure," I said softly. I looked back up toward Carlos. "Is ten okay?"

"Sure, just no later," he said sternly. He winked at me and turned around. He went back inside.

I nodded. "Okay. Thanks." I put the phone back up to my ear. "Yeah, I can go. I just can't be home no later than ten, alright?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "That gives us time to ride rides, eat food, and partayy it up."

I laughed really loud. "Sounds like fun."

"Oh, it will be. Trust me."

"Dude, who are you talking to?" I heard someone yelling in the background.

"Yeah, and why are you blushing?" Another voice asked.

"Chad, Jason, shut the fuck up!" Troy yelled. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright," I answered. "So how have you been for the past… three hours?"

"Sad that you had to leave," he joked.

I giggled again. "Oh, I feel loved."

Troy chuckled. "So tell me more about yourself. What's your middle name?"

"Anne Marie," I replied, twirling a strand of hair around my finger.

"Pretty," he said.

"Not really… Yours is?"

"Alexander," he responded in a low voice. "Favorite color?"

"Black," I told him, after thinking it over for a moment.

"Same here. Um… what kind of music do you listen to?"

"It's a mixture between hip hop and rock."

"Again, the very same. Favorite food?"

"Mmm… Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches… without the jelly."

Troy laughed. "I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches without jelly!"

I burst out laughing. "Hey, wait, what's your favorite band?"

"Definitely Breaking Benjamin," he replied.

"You're joking! You're totally joking!"

"Nope. Why? Is that your favorite band too?"

"Yup," I giggled. "Favorite place to shop?"

"Oh… I don't know. That's hard. Between Aeropostle, Hollister, and Hot Topic."

"Oh my god, how did we not meet before?!" I exclaimed. "Same here!"

"Erm, what do you do in your free time?"

"Dance, sing, draw, listen to music, have fun… You?"

"Cool… Basketball, guitar--"

"You play guitar?" I asked, smiling.

"Yeah, is that so bad?"

"No, not at all. It's just a lot of guys would be embarrassed to say that."

"Oh, well, nope, not me," Troy said. "I'm not a shy guy."

"Well, that's good."

"So you said you sing… You should sing for the talent show. It's like three months away."

"Oh, no way!" I shrieked, rising to my feet.

"Ooh, little Gabby's got stage fright, huh?" Troy teased.

"Well, why don't you try singing a solo in church choir with everyone staring at you!"

"Brie, sweetie, that's what a solo is."

"Well, I know that, but-- Did you just call me Brie?"

"Yeah, why? Am I not allowed to call you that?" Troy asked.

"Um, no, I just… No one's ever called me that before. But I like it. It's… sweet," I said thoughtfully. I leaned over the edge of my balcony and looked up at the sky. It was about 7 in the evening and it was cloudy. The sky was dark and mysterious.

"Haha, yeah. Well, I gotta go. Mom's calling us in for dinner. See you at 2:15 tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," I smiled. "Bye."

"Bye," he said and I hung up the phone. I continued to stare up at the sky for a minute and thunder clapped. A few seconds later, lightening flashed across the sky.

"Gabriella, come on in here! You're going to get struck by lightening!" I heard Carlos yell. I rolled my eyes and turned around to go back inside. I shut the balcony door behind myself and walked over to my laptop. I sat down on my bed and placed the laptop on my lap. I noticed Taylor and Sharpay were online, so I signed into my IM.

**Gabster606**** has asked to join your conversation.**

**xOxPretty_in_PinkxOx: **Gabby! Hey!

**Gabster606**: Hey, Shar!

**ChemGirl24**: Hey, chica! Sup?"

**Gabster606**: Oh, not much. Just got off the phone with Troy.

**xOxPretty_in_PinkxOx**: Ooh. What did you guys talk about?

**Gabster606**: Um going to the fair tomorrow and stuff about ourselves.

**ChemGirl24**: Honey, I think he likes you.

**xOxPretty_in_PinkxOx**: Me too.

**Gabster606**: No he doesn't!

**ChemGirl24**: Oh, honey, you can't be serious.

**Gabster606**: But I don't understand… How does that mean he likes me?

**xOxPretty_in_PinkxOx**: It just does. Trust me. I've had experience with boys before.

**ChemGirl24**: Do you like him?

I pulled back and hesitated a moment before answering. What would they think if I did? I mean, I honestly had only known him for a day. It wasn't even right.

**xOxPretty_in_PinkxOx**: Well, do you?

**Gabster606**: …

**ChemGirl24**: You do!

**xOxPretty_in_PinkxOx**: Aww! You guys should go out!

**Gabster606**: Whoa whoa whoa! I never said I liked him.

**ChemGirl24**: But you do!

**xOxPretty_in_PinkxOx**: Just admit it. Honey, you can't hide forever.

**Gabster606**: You guys aren't fair!

**ChemGirl24**: Yup. You know it. Hey I gottsta go. Bii bii.

**xOxPretty_in_PinkxOx**: Me too. Toodles!

**Gabster606**: Bye guys. Muah! Muah!

**ChemGirl24**: Lol.

**xOxPretty_in_PinkxOx **has signed offline.

**ChemGirl24 has signed offline.**

**I signed off and closed the laptop with a sigh. Now they knew that I liked Troy. Were they going to tell him? And did he really like me too? Or were they just saying that to make me feel better about it? I bit my lip, deep in thought. I felt more butterflies swarm together in my stomach at the thought of Troy and getting to see him tomorrow. **


	4. The Fair

I was at the table eating lunch with Carlos and my mom when my phone started blasting its ringtone. I looked down at it. Troy. "Who's Troy?" Carlos asked, glancing sideways down at the screen.

"A friend." I told him, standing up to answer the call.

"A boy?" Carlos asked.

I nodded before skipping out of the room. I heard Carlos say something under his breath behind me and I rolled my eyes before answering the phone. "Hey."

"Hey, Brie, you almost ready? We'll be at your house in a few."

"Yup, I'm good to go. By the way, you almost got me in trouble."

"How?" Troy asked.

"When you called I was with my dad. He saw your name on the screen. So if I get grounded, it should be on your conscience."

"But I--"

"Gotcha!" I giggled. "I'm totally joking."

"Well, good, cause we're pulling up to your house right now and I couldn't stand being with you all day if you're mad at me."

I smiled as I flipped the phone shut and called goodbye to Carlos and my mom. I walked out the door, slamming it closed behind me.

Troy opened the van door. "Hey," he greeted with a gigantic grin.

"Hi," I said, through a smile almost as wide as his own. I climbed into the van and Troy shut the door behind me. I climbed into the empty seat next to him. Chad was driving, Taylor was in the passenger seat, and Zeke and Sharpay were in the three-seater behind us.

"Hey, Gabby," Sharpay said. She looked suspicious.

I could see past that innocence she was trying to put on her face. I gave her a weird look. She giggled and I hit her from over the seat. "Shut up."

"What's going on?" Troy asked.

"Oh, Gabby just--" Sharpay started. I cut her off.

"Missed you all so much!" I lied. I felt the heat creep up my cheeks.

"Yeah, especially T-"

"Chad!!" Taylor yelled, thumping him on the head, which didn't seem to effect him, because of his fluffy hair/helmet.

"Oww!" He cried. Everyone gave him a quizzical look. "It hurt!" And then it all went from there. Talyor was yelling at Sharpay for ever were saying anything. Sharpay was half-paying attention to Talyor and half-yelling at Chad for being an idiot and opening up his big fat mouth.

"Guys, shut up!" Troy and I yelled at precisely the same time. Our heads snapped toward each other and our eyes locked for a moment.

"I don't get this!" Troy laughed nervously. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

Everyone stayed quiet. Sharpay began to open her mouth but Zeke put his hand over her mouth. I leaned up to Taylor as Chad started the engine and we began driving down the street. "Why did you tell Chad?" I hissed.

"Are you crazy, girl? I can't keep a secret from him! And plus, I could get him to find out if Troy likes you too…"

"No!" I said. "Because then he'll no I like him."

"We'll cover--"

"Guys!" Troy cried out. We all turned to look at him. Well, all except for Chad, who looked back in the rearview mirror, glancing at the road every once in a while.

"What?" We all asked.

"What the hell is going on? And why won't anybody tell me? If all of you guys can know this little 'secret' of Gabriella's, then why can't I?" He asked, looking back and forth between all of us.

"You just can't, okay?" Zeke said. It was the first time he's spoken since I'd gotten in the car.

"And why not?" He asked. He looked hurt.

I bit my lip. I could tell him. And then it would all be over and I wouldn't have to worry about it… But it could ruin our friendship and mess the whole gang up. I didn't want to do that. I'd grown to love them all only in the two days I'd known them. They were the closest thing I really ever had to a 'gang' of friends. And I wasn't going to lose them that easily. "Because." I said, crossing my arms over my chest and letting out a huff.

"Fine," Troy mumbled. He reached across me and pulled my seatbelt over me, buckling me in. It was as if I were a small child. Then, he turned away and looked out the window.

I swiveled around in my seat and gave a sort of mean glare at Sharpay. Well, as mean as I could be. I wasn't normally mean. When I turned around, Taylor was looking at me. 'Sorry' she mouthed. I shrugged. There was nothing she could do about the fact that Sharpay had a big mouth. I slowly began to chew on my nails, which was a new habit I picked up when I was nervous. And truth be told, I was nervous. I was nervous to death that Troy was angry with me.

Taylor reached over and turned the radio on. LoveDrunk by BoysLikeGirls. I sighed and began to hum the song quietly to myself. The windows were rolled down and the wind from Troy's window was cool on my face and softly blew my hair. I closed my eyes and let the music take me away. I loved music. It shaped my life. It helped me to just go with the wind. I frown graced my features.

"Why are you frowning?" I heard a whisper of a voice.

My eyes flicked open. Troy was leaning over to me, only inches away from my face. His breath was sweet and warm on my face. I stared at him for a moment. Suddenly a smile took over my face. I couldn't help it. There was something about him. It just made me smile.

"There. Much better. You shouldn't frown. You never know when someone's falling in love with your smile."

"Where did you hear that?"

"No where. Just thought of it…"

"Well, it's sweet…" I said with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" He asked. He looked concerned. His eyebrows furrowed together in a thoughtful cute adorable way.

"Nothing. Just thinking." I replied softly, twirling a curl around my finger.

"About?" He asked. He unbuckled his seatbelt and moved over to the seat next to me.

"My life," I whispered. "And how differed it may have turned out if I never came here."

"How would it be different?" He asked, getting close to me, so that our faces were only centimeters away.

"Well, I never would of met you…" I said dreamily, before catching myself. "Or Chad, Taylor, Shar… Any of you guys."

"I wouldn't of liked that."

"Me either," I agreed.

"What are you two lovebirds chatting so secretively and cozy about?" Chad asked, looking at us in his mirror.

We both sat up fully. "Nothing." We both said quickly.

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me," he chuckled, his hair bouncing as he laughed.

"Yup, to cozy to be nothing," Taylor nodded.

I blushed and looked away. I turned around to look at Sharpay. Her head was resting on Zeke's shoulder and her eyes were closed. Her breathing was slow and uneven, so I guessed she was sleeping. Zeke must've been sleeping too, for his head was rested on the back of his seat. "Aww, well, would ya look at that?" I cooed.

Troy turned around. "Haha."

I elbowed him in the stomach. "It's not funny. It's cute… Does he likes her?"

Troy threw a glance up at Chad who was trying to stifle his laughter. "Well, as long as you guys don't tell her… He's liked her for years if it wasn't obvious…"

"Aww," Taylor said, rubbing her hands together. "They would have cute babies!"

Every head -- besides the sleeping lovers --- snapped over to look at her. "What?!" We all exclaimed.

"Moving a little fast there, aren't we?" I giggled.

Taylor shrugged. "Well, wouldn't they?"

"Sure, if you want little baking drama queens running all over the place," Troy joked. We all burst out into laughter at the thought.

A few minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of the fair grounds. It was crowded. We finally found a parking place, fifteen minutes later and woke Sharpay and Zeke up. They yawned and stretched and avoided each other's gaze, trying their best to act like nothing had ever happened. Troy and I laughed so hard we almost pissed out pants as we stumbled out of the van.

"I have to pee!" I cried out as soon as we got through the gate.

"That's a little too much info, Gabs," Zeke teased.

I shook my head. "I don't care! I HAVE TO PEE!"

"Well, I'M HUNGRY!!" Chad roared. Everyone stared at us like we were mental. Which we were.

"Well, come on then," Troy laughed, taking my hand and pulling me over to the bathrooms. "We'll meet you guys over there at the food place!" He called toward the gang, motioning to the nearest food place. They all agreed. When we reached the bathrooms, Troy and I split off in different directions. "See you in a bit!"

I hurried into the bathroom. There was still one stall open. I hurried over to it and went in to pee. When I was done, I rushed to wash my hands, not wanting to keep Troy or the rest waiting. When I got out, Troy was standing there waiting on me. Aw, what a gentleman. I smiled as I reached him. "Thanks for waiting."

"No prob," He grinned. We linked arms and walked over to the food stand.

The gang was already sitting down and eating. "Thanks for waiting," I giggled, watching Chad stuff his face with his own food, and sneak some of the others' too.

"Sorry," he muttered through mouthfuls of food. "I was hungry."

"It's okay. C'mon, Brie," Troy said, taking my hand again. His hands were nice and warm and soft. I loved it. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He lead me over to the food stand and walked up to the open lady.

"What can I get for ya?" She asked.

"Brie, what do you want, sweetie?" He asked softly, pulling out his wallet.

My heart fluttered. Did he just call me sweetie? "I can pay for myself--"

"I got it. Don't worry." He winked at me.

"Okay, I'll just take a cheeseburger and a Coke."

"I'll have the very same. Wanna share fries?"

"Sure," I smiled. My heart still felt like it was about to come up out of my throat.

"Is that it?" The lady asked, writing it all down on a notepad.

"I think so… Yeah." Troy nodded.

"That'll be fifteen dollars and thirty cents," She smiled.

Troy pulled out two twenty dollar bills out of his wallet. He handed it to her and she handed him back his change. We pulled over to the side and waited on our food. "I'm paying you back," I told him.

"No, you're not," he said, shaking his head with a small laugh. He took both of our food into his hands and turned to walk away.

"I can help!" I said.

"I got it," he laughed again.

"I'm still paying you back," I said out of no where.

Troy rolled his eyes as he sat down by Chad, who was still stuffing his face. Taylor was on the opposite side of him. I sat down by Sharpay on the other side, who was sitting on the other side of Zeke. "Yes I am!" I said determinedly. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"What's going on now?" Taylor asked, a smirk upon her face.

I looked at her. "He won't let me pay him back for buying my food!"

"So?" Chad asked, finally looking up from his food, but for only a second.

"Yeah, so what? The guy is supposed to pay for the girl."

"Ha!" Troy said.

I sighed. "Fine. Be that way."

"I will," he nodded, passing my cheeseburger across the table to me. He put the fries in between us.

"Let's ride the Wild Claw!" Taylor shrieked as we watched it spin around and around. People screamed.

I shook a little. It wasn't that I didn't like heights. And no, I wasn't scared. I just didn't like the feeling of having no control over myself.

"You wanna, Brie?" Troy asked, looking at me with a sideways glance.

I bit my lip, deep in thought.

"C'mon, it'll be fun," he said with a pout. "I'll be with you. I won't let anything happen to you. I swear."

I sighed. "Okay…"

"Well, we don't have to if you don't wanna…" He said quietly.

"No, I'll be fine," I said.

"You sure?" He asked, looking me in the eyes.

"Of course," I nodded, swallowing hard.

Troy took my hand again. I was starting to love the feeling it gave me, the adrenaline. I smiled widely and blush crept up my cheeks. The line wasn't very long, because the Talent Show had started and most of the people were there. The man operating the machine let the people on before us on and the entire gang were the last group of people to make it on this one.

"Troy, come over here, bro!" Chad yelled, motioning over to Troy to sit by him.

"No, don't make me be by some creep!" I exclaimed.

Troy looked at me. "I'm not going to."

I nodded.

"Dude, I'm going to put Brie in the middle, okay?" He asked.

Chad nodded.. "Oh, okay." He pulled Talyor over to him and sat her down next to him. Sharpay sat next to her and Zeke next to her. I sat on Chad's other side and Troy sat on my empty side. The operator came around and buckled down our little latches or whatever.

I was shaking so much that the metal was rattling.

Troy laughed quietly and put his hand on my leg. "It's okay. Honest."

I shook my head. "The last time I went on something that went upside down, I made my cousin Layla sit on one side of me and my other cousin Jared on the other side and I made them hold my hand the entire time."

"Well, we can get that settled," he grinned, taking my hand and holding onto it firmly. "I won't let go, alright?"

The ride started and we just swung side to side at first, gradually getting higher and higher. I gripped Troy's hand tighter and Chad's forearm. Chad was bursting out laughing. Troy let go of my hand for a fraction of a second to put his hands up in the air. I began struggling to hit his arms and push them back down. "Don't!" I screamed over the wind.

He just laughed and grabbed my hand again.

I glared at him. We began going upside down and back and forth and I closed my eyes, feeling the wind in my hair and ruffling my clothes. "Are you alright?!" Troy yelled.

I just threw him a cold look.

When the ride finally stopped, I struggled to get the buckle off and jump out of the seat. I pushed it off and ran out through the exit gate.

"Gabriella!" Troy yelled, jogging up to me. "What's wrong?"

"You said you wouldn't let go," I said lowly, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Aw, I'm sorry," he said. "Seriously. I was just joking around. Brie, please don't be mad at me."

I walked back to Taylor and Sharpay, who were whispering and giggling madly. I wondered silently how long I could keep this whole being mad at Troy thing going. And I wondered why it bothered him so much. I giggled to myself.

"Shit! Brie, we gotta get you home!" Troy said loudly, pulling out his phone.

I pulled out my own phone. It was 9:45. I groaned.

We all ran like a pack of wild idiots back to the van and piled in. Once we were all situated, we sped off toward my house. I didn't talk to Troy the whole way home. He tried to talk to me at first, but seeing as I ignored him, he finally gave up. When we pulled up to my house I unbuckled my seatbelt and ran up to the door.

"Wait! Brie!" Troy yelled. I turned around. He ran up to me. "Please forgive me. IT was stupid. I know I promised you and I broke that promise but--"

I burst out into fits of giggles. "Troy, I'm not mad at you."

"I know, but-- What?!"

"I was kidding. I don't care if you let go of my hand for a fraction of a second. I really don't."

"Really?"

"Yes, Troy," I laughed. "I have to go, or I'm going to miss curfew."

"Wait, do you wanna meet up again tomorrow? The gang wants to go to the mall."

"Sure," I agreed. "Goodnight, Troy," I placed my hand on the doorknob. "I had a great time." I turned around and reached up on my tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek. A smile graced my face. "See you tomorrow." I turned around and went inside the house, just as Carlos came down the hall.

"Good. I thought I heard you. You made it here with three minutes to spare… Was that a guy I heard?"

I gave him a bitter look. "Yes, Carlos. It was a boy. Oh my gosh. Is that such a sin?"

"I don't know why you have this attitude with me. But, yes it is a problem with me and if it's this boy that's making you act out like this, then I might have to forbid you from seeing him."

My jaw dropped. "No, you can't!"

"Go to your room. We'll talk in the morning."

I stormed up to my room, slamming the door extra hard behind me. Tears stung at my eyes. I climbed into bed and buried my head into the pillows, not caring that I was still fully dressed.


	5. The Mall and Fighting with Carlos

My phone vibrated on her bed, where it was charging. I heard it from all the way in the bathroom, but maybe that was just because I was expecting a call and I was excited to receive the call. I ran over to it and flipped it open. "Hello?" I sang happily.

"Hey, Brie," his semi-deep, sexy voice greeted.

I smiled widely. "Hi, Troy."

"Are we going to the mall, or what?" He asked into the phone. I could tell he was grinning.

"Yup, just a sec," I told him, after looking out the window. His old beat up truck was parked outside out I house and he was standing out there, leaning against the bed of it. He grinned and waved up at her. I waved back, my heart hammering in my chest. We were actually gonna be alone for once. Only for a while, as the mall was only so far away, but it still mattered. A lot. "Be right out." I flipped the phone shut and ran down the stairs.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Carlos asked, looking up from his desk in his office as I passed.

"Out," I replied harshly, and ran out the door before he could say anything. I skipped happily over to Troy's truck.

"Someone's happy," Troy chuckled, opening the door and helping me climb in. His hands rested on my waist for a moment as he helped me up. I felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Very," I giggled and when he climbed into the car, I gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for giving me a ride. My dad would never go for it."

"Then how did you manage to get out of the house?" Troy asked me, starting the engine.

"Hey, I wasn't going to give up an opportunity to be with you guys, was I?"

Troy smirked. "I guess not. Because we're just that amazing." He drove off down the road. "Oh, I forgot to ask. What did you think of your first day at East High?"

"Well, let's see, I made new friends and landed detention in one day… I'd say it was all pretty amazing," I teased, a small smile on my face.

"That's what I thought," Troy laughed. I laughed too, our laughter melting together. He looked at me for a long time, only throwing glances at the road, here and there to make sure we were still on the road. "You look pretty today," he complimented.

I blushed. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself."

Troy shook his head as he chuckled and pulled into the mall parking lot. He got out and ran around to open my door. I giggled as he helped me down. I couldn't help it. Corny as it was, he brought out the better half of me. "Are Chad and Tay already here?" I asked. Sharpay and Zeke weren't coming, because Zeke had to help out with his dad's restaurant and Sharpay had to help plan Ryan and hers' birthday party.

"Yup," he nodded as we walked into the mall. "We're supposed to meet them… Guess where?"

"The Food Court," I guessed.

Troy gasped dramatically. "How did you know?"

"Could it be because a certain crazy-haired boy is always hungry?" I joked.

Troy laughed. "Could be, could be." We walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence and found Taylor and Chad, which wasn't that hard because of Chad's curly hair.

"Hey, Gabster!" Chad greeted, wrapping me in a bear hug from across the booth when Troy and I sat across from them. "Hey, dude." He said, winking at Troy. He was surrounded by wrappers and things.

"The way you eat, Chaddy, you'd think you'd be fat," I said.

Taylor laughed. "I know, right?"

"Naw, we burn everything off running and everything in basketball." Troy informed us.

I nodded. "Ah, yes, basketball. I forgot about that. You're the captain aren't you?"

"Yep, and Chad's co-captain."

"That's me!" Chad said, chewing his food rather quickly.

"Where do you wanna shop first?" Taylor asked me, changing the subject.

"Um, I don't care… Where do you normally shop?"

"Anywhere. Wherever there's cute clothes. Oh, that reminds me. The dance is coming up in a few weeks and soon, me, you, and Pay need to go shopping." Pay was another nickname for Sharpay.

I nodded my head. "Of course. What's the theme?"

"Red carpet," Taylor said excitedly, her face lighting up.

"Seriously? That's so cool! How exciting!" I said and we started talking really fast about ideas for everything.

"So, ladies," Chad said, interrupting us. He stretched his arms out above his head and let one drop lazily around Taylor's shoulders. "I'm prepared to go shopping. This is gonna be a long day."

"Let's go then!" I said, rising to my feet and dragging Taylor toward Aeropostle, the closest store to us. We ran in and started looking through a rack of jeans. "Aw, this is cute," I said, holding up a purple shirt that said Aero and a purple tank to go under it. "What do you think?" I held it up to myself.

"**Yeah, you're right, it is cute, hon, but you need a small." Taylor told me, looking at the tag. It was a medium.**

**I wanted to say something but I bit my lip. I probably couldn't fit into a small. I shrugged it off and went into the dressing room. I put the shirt on and came back out. Troy and Taylor were standing there and Chad was looking at hats on the other side of the store. "Very pretty," Taylor complimented. "I think purple's your color."**

**I bit my lip and looked at Troy, waiting on his opinion.**

"**Oh!" He said, realizing I was waiting on him. "You want my opinion? Well, I'm not very good with stuff like this… But, um, I guess it looks good…" He looked me up and down. "It, um, compliments your curves… and stuff." He struggled with words and turned around and walked over to Chad.**

**I looked at Taylor. She stifled her laughter behind her hand. When I shot her an evil glare, she raised her hands up in defense. "What?"**

"**Shut up," I said and turned back to change out of the shirt. When I came back out, Taylor was at the cash register, paying the cashier.**

**I hurried over to get in line behind her and decided I would by the shirt. I handed it to the man and he winked at me. He was a teenager, who looked about our age, with red hair and green eyes and lots of acne. "Is this all I can get for ya today?" He asked. I nodded. "Hey, do you like Lord of the Rings?"**

**I shrugged. "I never have really watched it…"**

"**Oh…" He frowned. "Well, my friends are having this big party thing tonight and you should come. Bring your friend if you want."**

"**Um, no," I shook my head. "I'm sorry." I didn't want to be mean, but he wasn't exactly cute and I already like Troy anyway…**

"**Well, just think about it," he told me, pulling my receipt out of the thing and taking out a pen. "Here's the address and here's my number." He smiled at me and handed it to me. "Call me."**

**I took the receipt from him and gave him a weird look. "Don't plan on it." I turned around and stuffed the receipt in the bag, grabbing Taylor by the arm and pushing her out the door.**

**Chad and Troy ran out after us. "What was that about?" Troy asked.**

"**That guy in there was hitting on her," Taylor giggled.**

**I shoved her hard. "He gave me the creeps."**

"**What guy?" Troy asked, backing up to look in the window. He popped his knuckles.**

"**Troy, not here," I said, shaking my head and grabbing his arm. I pulled him away from the window and we continued to walk. We shopped for about three hours before we finally decided to leave.**

"**Bye, Gabs!" Chad yelled as he and Taylor walked toward his car.**

"**Yeah, and don't forget, you have that Lord of the Rings party to go to tonight!" Talyor said.**

**I stuck my tongue out at her.**

"**What party?" Troy asked, looking at me with a weird look on his face.**

"**Just something that guy from Aeropostle invited me to…"**

"**Are you actually thinking about going?" Troy asked as he opened the truck door for me to get in. When I didn't answer, he said, "You are, aren't you?"**

**I shook my head furiously. "No! I wasn't! But what does it matter to you anyway?"**

**He shut the door and walked to the other side of the truck. "It doesn't matter-"**

"**Then, why'd you ask?" I demanded, buckling my seatbelt. He didn't answer me. He just shook his head and muttered a few words under his breath while starting the engine. I sighed and looked out the window. I didn't want to argue with him but it was so hard not to because he was just so… so stubborn.**

"**Brie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out on you like that," Troy said out of the blue.**

**I looked over at him. I nodded my head. "Yeah, you shouldn't have."**

**He looked away from me, as if he couldn't stand to look at me. I chewed on the inside of my mouth until I tasted the blood. I seemed to be doing that a lot when I was nervous too. I'd picked up so many new habits without even realizing it. Ever since I'd come to Albuquerque only a while ago, my whole everything changed. And it had changed for the good. I liked it. I liked this. Being here with Troy. And with friends who actually seemed to have fun around me.**

"**But I wasn't right either. I should've been a little more nice about it… I can't blame you for wondering… I mean, it was a party of strangers. And no, I didn't think about going for a moment. I'm not going to waste my time on some pointless guy who wasn't even cute."**

**Troy snickered but then turned serious again. "It wasn't your fault. I snapped on you. I didn't mean to. Forgive me?" He looked at me with something in his eyes, something I'd never seen before. Hunger and anticipation.**

**I broke out into a smile. "Of course. I can't stay mad at you, silly."**

**He grinned too. "That's what I thought." He laughed as we pulled up to my house. He got out of the car again and opened my door. Troy literally picked me up out of the seat and put me on the ground. He walked me up to the house.**

"**Gabriella? What are you doing?" Carlos' voice asked as the door opened.**

**I looked at him with a nasty glare in my eyes. "Getting ready to go in the door in approximately three seconds."**

"**Get in here, now. Say goodbye to him."**

**I stayed rooted in the spot. "He has a name and it's Troy."**

"**Well, frankly, I don't care what his name is. Get in this house at this instant."**

**I stared at him and still didn't move. He wasn't my legal guardian. He couldn't tell me what I could and couldn't do.**

"**Um, Brie, I'll see you at school," Troy said with a small wave, realizing he wasn't really being welcomed in.**

"**No, don't leave." I said, looking at him with a pout on my face.**

**He looked back and forth between me and Carlos, deciding what to do.**

"**Gabriella, get in here. Now!" Carlos ordered.**

"**No. Make me." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. Tears of anger welled up in my eyes.**

"**Brie, just go inside. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"**

"**Oh, no, you won't. I know what you think. You just want her body, don't you? Don't you, you sick little boy?" Carlos asked nastily.**

"**Shut up!" I told him.**

"**Gabby, what's wrong?" My mom asked, as she came out onto the porch. "Hi, you must be Troy." She said, giving Troy a warm smile.**

"**Don't talk to him and be all nice like that."**

"**Why? What's he done?" She asked him.**

"**Thought sick things about our little Gabriella."**

"**How do you know?" I demanded, rather rudely. I felt like smacking him across the face. "Unless you've read his mind, you don't know."**

"**Gabriella, how many times do I have to tell you? There's one thing that teenage boys want-"**

"**Excuse me, sir, but, with all due respect, I don't think like that," Troy pointed out. "And I'm sorry, but it sounds like you're blaming me for thinking things like that when we're not even dating," he motioned toward me.**

"**I don't give a shit. So go home and think your little nasty mind to sleep." Carlos said, going in the house.**

**I threw Troy an apologetic glance as my mom lead me into the face and Carlos slammed the door behind us.**


End file.
